


When The Apple Falls...

by DeadManWalked



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Buck Begins, Buck needs a hug, Buckley parents suck, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Past Child Abuse, buckley family, buddie, fire!fam, mentions of team - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:55:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21754846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadManWalked/pseuds/DeadManWalked
Summary: They say the Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Is that a law that cannot be broken or a simple saying the excuse the actions of men? Is it an inevitability that we become just as our makers? Does our daily actions to work against the wind matter when the weight of gravity will be the most damning of all?Evan Buckley has worked everyday since he took his first breath to work against the ties of the branches of his family that held him back. Worked everyday to become as much of a pear that an apple could be so long as it meant he could escape the grasp of his makers. Will any of it make a difference in the end? Will any of it matter when the Apple falls?
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 20
Kudos: 243





	1. Where does it fall?

**Author's Note:**

> The start of my next short story that centers around Buck in both the past, present, and the oncoming future. This will likely be a 3 part story with each chapter representing those time periods. The first chapter will most likely be the darkest, so please be mindful of the tags before you continue. Don’t worry because there will be a happy ending.

The Buckley family was never a happy one. Never one of warmth or joy or love. In more ways than one, a person could argue that they were never a family as much as they were simply people in the same household. A husband and wife with their two children, one daughter and one son, who all just living together.

It all began far before Evan Buckley was even an idea in their minds. It started before even Madeline Buckley was a spec in the womb. When a rich man was forced into an unhappy relationship with a rich woman in order to maintain the familial status and their hierarchy in the American Business Spector. They did as married couples were supposed to do and within a year Madeline Buckley was blooming in the womb.

The Buckley parents were never planning on having more than one child, since they hadn’t even wanted the daughter they did have, but accidents happen even to rich people. They couldn’t follow through with their desires for an abortion simply because a leak was bound to happen and the backlash in their community was doomed. So they pushed through with the pregnancy without much care, but rather an increasing hatred for another toll on their lives.

Evan Buckley’s mother hadn’t loved the idea of him enough to take care of him while pregnant. She drank as much as usual, which was more than healthy, and smoked in the comforts of her own home. Perhaps she was hoping for a miscarriage as an escape, but if someone were to have asked her she would deny anything.

Denial was a strong force in their family. It was more common than words of affection or a soft familial touch. The denial of their hatred for one another. A fathers insistence that he was proud of the sight of his son on the day of his birth or a mother’s false smile as she announced that she had never been happier to be a mother of two.

It took Maddie Buckley two years to grow fond of her new brother, finding at the age of 12 that her hatred for her family wasn’t fair to spread to the small boy as well. She had always felt that he was another reason her family was so cold, but it didn’t take long for her to see that her little brother had it much worse. That her parents had miraculous hated the baby more than they ever did herself. 

Evan Buckley grew up as a child calling his nanny mama and recognizing the face of his sister better than his own parents. Nobody could blame the boy since they were the only ones who held him when he cried or fed him when he was hungry. He was a quiet child, possibly due to the fact he knew his cries would never be answered, and calm at most times.

In almost every way he was the perfect toddler, but it didn’t change the hatred he’d received from his creators. He didn’t realize at the time that that was going to be the easiest his life would ever be. That the best years of his life would be ones he spent crying in his room alone and screaming since he didn’t recognize his own parents. When he reached the age of 5 his ADHD and dyslexia developed rapidly and along side that grew the torment of being a Buckley.

Evan struggled most with concentration and sitting still, which meant that the already short patience of his family only grew shorter. He was a bundled ball of nerves and energy in a home where life was meant to be left at the door. He talked when nervous and that meant there was rarely a moment of silence in his life, which only brought more pain. He struggled in his new academics, even with the attempted help of his older sister, and that had brought more problems.

His father hated that his son wasn’t as quick to grow into his intelligence as his daughter had been. He was ashamed of the fact that his son was obviously lacking in his intellect compared to his coworkers children, and hated the fact the boy struggled instead of grasping everything effortlessly. His impatience with the boys endless energy had been the most difficult thing to control, which is why he often punished the child by forcing him into his room. He would argue that it was to teach discipline when in reality it was to refrain himself from hitting the child in a way that the nanny would question upon her daily changing of the boy.

Evans mother had grown tired of having to handle her sons restlessness on those few hours a day she was forced to babysit. She couldn’t stand the boys endless questions and chatter that wouldn’t stop even with a television switched on. One evening on the eve of her boys 7th birthday, when she was on her second pack of cigarettes for the day, she grabbed the boys small hand and burnt her cigarette out on it. It was her desperate hope to silence the boy, but when it only lasted a week she decided it would soon become ritual.

Madeline Buckley would be ashamed to admit today that a large portion of her little brothers abuse started after her 16th birthday. She would be ashamed to admit that once she turned 16 she decided her brother could survive on his own so she took up as many sports as possible. When she wasn’t at school she was at practice and when she wasn’t there she was working. She would be horrified to confess that she was relieved when the abuse she endured had stopped years prior to this decision when her parents turned their focus to her brother.

Most of all, she would be sickened to discover that her brothers level of abuse was more than she ever knew. That the worst she got was emotional neglect, but that her little brother had been dealt with so much more in her absence. That the reason she never found out after decades about the extent it went is because said brother wanted to spear her the pain the truth brought.

Evan Buckley was left on his own after his sister moved out when she graduated at the age of 17. A nanny was no longer deemed socially acceptable to take care of a child who was nearly 8, so his parents had decided that he was old enough to take care of himself. If you had asked the Buckley parents why they really fired the nanny, if they chose to be honest, you would discover that both parents were having sexual relations with the woman.

The first time Evan was beaten by his father to the point of broken bones was less than a month after he turned 8. He had dropped a wine glass while doing dishes and his father was furious. That night left the boy with a fractured left wrist and a broken right leg. If you asked the doctor about if he knew the true cause behind those injuries, he would deny knowing anything before calling his lawyer. The paperwork chalked it up to a playground incident.

The burns, bruises, and broken bones became a daily habit after that. The parents were careful to do these injuries in a way that wouldn’t draw attention from anyone they couldn’t pay to look the other way. They were sure to leave the boys face free of injury, thinking that that horrible red birthmark was bad enough, and instead focused on his covered body. If anyone today looked close enough at Evans upper thighs they would find the small circular burn marks of his mother’s cigarettes from where she put them out when he had shorts on.

Evan Buckley realized he had liked boys before he had liked girls. He remembered that he realized it when he had accidentally walked in on his mother’s side piece getting undressed in the hot tub outside, which happened to be right under his bedroom balcony. He realized he loved his best friend James soon after that. It was shortly after his 13th birthday that he had gotten his first kiss from James. His father had walked in on them making-out a little over a month later and that night Evan ended up in a hospital. He was in a coma for a week. The paperwork said it was from a car accident, even though the boy couldn’t drive and there was no proof of an accident.

It was on his first year of high school when he pretended he didn’t know James and that he never liked boys in favor of only focusing on the girls he did like. He had received so many beatings the summer before that he was just as emotionally scarred of his feelings for boys as a person straight out of conversion therapy. Freshman year was when he used girls and sex as an escape from his reality and therefore as an addiction of sorts.

He had started that habit as the first attempt of many to try and please his family. To try and show them that he was what he wanted and therefore to stop the beatings. He worked everyday to be the smartest person in the school while also balancing his heterosexual playboy status alongside his being a jock. He drowned in homework, sports, and girls every day, but every night none of it mattered. None of it stopped the fists or burns or words of hatred.

Evan was 16 years old when he first tried to kill himself. He downed a handful of pain killers from his mother’s stash in the closet and waited to go numb. He had suffered from two seizures before the maid found him and then woke up alive in the hospital. His father paid the doctors off to make the incident seem due to unknown causes so there would be no forced suicide watch, therefore protecting his reputation. Buck was so scared of the potential consequences for his actions that he tried to hang himself when they got back home. His father found him that time and nearly finished the job when he strangled the boy as punishment.

Evan had to wear a scarf for three weeks after that. The same one he had used to try and hang himself with in the first place.

Evan ran away from home the week after his early graduation when he was freshly 17. He packed as much as he could in his suitcase before catching the nearest bus that could get him the furthest away from Hershey. He had considered going to his sister, but she had moved on with a new family. She was married and didn’t need him anymore.

The first couple of years he traveled along the East coast working in whatever bar was willing to hire him. He was living his early years drowning in sex and whatever alcohol that his fake ID could get him. Most of his nights he went until he blacked out and woke up on some random corner or a strangers bed. He indulged with as many men or women he could get his hands on regardless of how toxic they could be. The amount of new bruises he earned from bar fights or relationship partners soon became bad enough that he realized he was just as hurt here as at home.

He was forced to return home on his 20th birthday when his sister had messaged him that she was visiting. He didn’t want her alone with their parents so he swallowed his feelings for her sake. He covered the bruises he earned the first night from his father so she wouldn’t see them when they had breakfast together in the morning. He forced a smile and bit back his tears from the cigarette his mother was putting out on his leg underneath the table during lunch. It seemed the Buckley parents were a stickler for tradition even after all those years.

That was how he ended up going to college. His father had trapped him into joining after threatening to show Maddie a taste of what the man was capable of. He went to school and got his associates in health sciences before escaping the country with his best friend Charles. They went to Argentina, where Charles was from, and quickly thrived in the bar life there.

At first his relationship was Charles was strictly a friendship but quickly blossomed into an open relationship. They would drink before getting lost in some flavor of the day’s body before returning home to get lost in each other. Sometimes things would slow and just be them two, other times it would be orgies everyday, but in the end it wasn’t real enough for Evan. Evan, who wanted a real love and a family to call his own. So he left to California shortly after turning 25.

The man became determined to get his life together and start his own path. He quickly sobered up and ate healthier while working out everyday until he decided to try to join the Navy Seals. He blended in perfectly during the harsh boot camp training, most likely due to his own childhood strongly reflecting the life style in terms of discipline and sternness, but he forced himself to drop out upon learning the restrict of emotions required. He had decided after all this time that he deserved to live his life as emotionally available as he could. That nobody was allowed to deny that anymore.

Buck decided that the best option for himself to become his own person while staying true to his desires to make the world a better place was through public services. He knew that Firefighting was more meant for him over Police Officers because he would be saving lives in a better way. He knew that he couldn’t stomach the requirements that officers need to meet to effectively do their version of life saving. He trained harder than ever before for the job and felt his heart soar for the first time in his life when he succeeded.

Buck found his own family, mixed and different but real. Someone he could trust to watch his back rather than break it. He found himself learning that not all love relies on hatred and punishment, that not all romance needed lust first, and that he could be a good man. This new start left him happier and more free than he had ever been in his life. He looked forward to each day because he knew he was safe with this family, even if he doubted it at times.

The impact that his biological parents had left in him was overshadowed quickly. The words of hurt and self doubt and the temptation to believe he was as unwanted as he always believed died out every time he walked into work. His fathers voice died when he saw Hens smile or heard Chim laugh. His mother’s sneers drained away when he felt Bobby’s hand on his shoulder or Athena smile proudly at him.

He met his best friend and the man he loved more than he’d ever loved before, even if it was secret. Eddie Diaz was another beam of hope that was present in his life everyday in a way that no person had ever been before. A safety net as well as a helping hand. His son, Christopher, could only give Buck more love and hope for his own family each day. A reminder that children could be happy and that fathers could be loving. He kept his feelings close to his heart as to not ruin things with exposing them, but he was contempt with that because he didn’t need the relationship to care. He just needed them in his life.

Life was perfect, or at the very least better than it ever had been. When the bomb struck and his job was snatched, he was reminded that family doesn’t leave. They fight for you and they hold you when you fall. When the pulmonary embolism hit, he was reminded that real family fights to save your life instead of taking it. When he fought with everything he could to protect the small boy he came to see as his own from a giant wave, he realized that he did have his own family. He did have love and a potential future free of his past. Maybe one with the love of his life and his son too.

Which is why when his fathers voice came from behind him that day during work, he felt more petrified than ever before in his life. Decades of trauma and fear hit him like a grenade to the chest with a force that he could only compare to the memory of his fathers fist.

“Hello, Evan.”


	2. How Far Away?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out longer than I was expecting. However, it meets my satisfaction and if the story isn’t wrapped up by next chapter I’ll just add another.   
> Sorry it took so long to update, life has been crazy! I just graduated High School early, so that was fun. Anyways, enjoy!

You know that distinct feeling that floods through you when you first start the descent of the largest part of the roller coaster? When you look at the steep tracks ahead as gravity takes hold and pulls you down, and you swear for a moment you float? 

Your heart is racing so fast your body vibrates, your insides fly up as if trying to escape, and your mouth can't decide whether to scream or smile. Adrenaline floods your core and it burns so sweetly that it feels unrealistic, impossible even. You feel the wind start to whip your face until it forces tears out of their ducts. You want to scream so you do, even though for a moment it won't come out. 

Evan Buckley felt all of that but in the worst way as he turned around to face his father. He felt his heart hammering so hard in his chest that it hurt. He felt it clog his throat because he realized something as he looked at the older man. This descent didn't have tracks ahead and he was free falling in his cart. Plummeting towards his demise, and it would be one that would only bring pain in those final moments. He wanted to scream but his voice was trapped somewhere between his heart and the twist in his stomach.

The coldness that washed over him wasn't from fast winds but from bone chilling fear. The broaching tears weren't from the blood rushing to his face, because he was certain in this moment that all the blood he had was drained from his being, but from the ache that hit his chest when gravity decided it wanted more. It wanted his whole being and everything he had to offer until that moment soon that he would find himself sinking 6 feet below the surface. Soon he would hit the ground in a cart without tracks.

"I see not much has changed," The man drawled, voice flooded with disgust and disappointment.

Evans father looked almost exactly like himself. He was a tall, lean but fit, white man with light brown hair and vibrant blue eyes. Only his eyes were so much harsher than his sons, ones of frost biting cold rather than sunlight and joy. His skin was littered with a few wrinkles to age him, though he looked at least a decade younger than he actually was. There was also no pink birth mark anywhere in sight.

A billion thoughts ran through Buck's mind in that moment. Questions, fears, and everything in between. He wanted to run away, to attack, and to cry all at the same time. He subconsciously found himself standing straighter, dropping any sight of emotion from his face, and clasping his arms behind his back in order to hide how violently they've began shaking. To hide his fear.

"You look terrible, though I suppose that's no different either. You must be wondering why I'm here? You never were smart enough to figure these things out on your own."

Buck nearly winced at the truth behind the other mans words. He had been wondering why his father was here, in the 118 Firehouse of all places, and to be read so easily was upsetting. He racked his brain over and over again as he tried to find the answer in a desperate attempt to refute his fathers insult. Unfortunately, in his focus on that, he hadn't noticed his captain approaching.

"Can I help you, sir?" Bobby asked, eyes flickering between Buck and the stranger.

Buck nearly screamed in that moment out of sheer horror and petrification. In his own fear he had completely forgotten where he was and therefore put his new family in the cross hairs. He was so selfishly afraid that he forgot that he needed to protect his friends. Despite all of this, he was frozen in place as he soon watched the rest of his team join them in curiosity. The whole team, including his best friend. 

"I'm afraid nobody's been able to help with this particular issue for 28 years," his father mumbled under his breath before plastering a smile and turning to his newfound company. "My name is Richard Buckley, I am Evans father. You must be his...coworkers."

Surprise went across all his friends faces without their control. They all looked from the man to Buck and quickly made the connections. They hadn't been expecting to meet Buck's father, they didn't even know his name, so it was a shock to them all. Eddie was the only one out of the bunch who narrowed his eyes on suspicion at Buck's silence.

Bobby held out his hand with a smile on his face, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Buckley. I'm the Captain of his team, Bobby Nash."

"Please do not refer to me on such a formal level, Robert. My friends all call me Rick."

Buck winced because he knew the test that his father had just presented his team as well as he knew that there wouldn't be enough time to prevent the consequences. He caught the glare his father sent in a matter of seconds at his reaction, so he could only school his features back to emotionless and allow the events to unfold.

"Then, Rick, I insist you call me Bobby."

As if on cue Buck watched his father raise an unpleasant but also unsurprised eyebrow, "I'm afraid we are not friends, Robert. You are to call me Richard. Now, who exactly are the rest of these people who've been staring at me for the past few minutes?"

Buck felt his heart drop as he saw Chim move to make his introduction and knew that this time around he couldn't let his father rip into his friends. He knew that the best for him was to bite his tongue, but upon seeing the offense on his captains face he didn't want to risk any more. He couldn't risk his family looking at him in the same hurt way they would his father if he didn't intervene.

"Im—"

"This is Howard Han, Henrietta Wilson, and Edmundo Diaz. They are part of the 118th like I am, sir.”

He refused to make eye contact with his team as he spoke, but could feel the confusion and slight offense that was sure to be on their faces. They all loved and preferred their nicknames, and for Buck to not introduce them by their chosen name must have hurt. He knew that but he also knew the back lash that could've resulted from the truth.

The truth that his father hated all nicknames beside his own. That he especially despised odd sounding ones, as he claimed they were only for attention, and would not be afraid to express that disliking. His father was not a man who spared the feelings of anyone who he wasn't trying to get money from. Not to mention the fact that his friends were all racially, sexually, and/or gender wise in the minority, which meant that his father would already be judging their every action.

They might be offended by Buck, but Buck was okay with that over the latter.

"Is that so? I see that the Los Angeles Departments of Public Safety have taken to diversity hiring, though I suppose that was to be expected with the new political representatives. They all must be desperate for good media support from the Democrats nowadays," His father said, voice covered in disinterest and distaste. "I do hope they understand they're paying you to stand here gawking like fools instead of doing your actual job. Then again with the likes of you—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir," Buck spoke up, tongue bleeding from how hard he had been biting it. "Is there something wrong at home? I am...pleased...to see you here, but I'm afraid I am not smart enough to understand the situation."

"Of course you're not," His father sighed. "The one year anniversary of your whore mother's death is approaching and you need to make a public appearance back home. Say a few words. pretend to grieve, and so on. It was hard enough to excuse both you and your sisters absence last year at the funeral, so I will not do so again. We leave tonight."

"Sir," Buck started, trying to keep his eyes trained on the floor and away from the burning ones of his friends, "I'm afraid that I can’t do that. I have work nearly every day over the next week, including the day of her anniversary."

"Yes I suspected that, you idiot. That is why I've had a nice long conversation with the head of the entire LA fire department and you will no longer be working past today's shift until we return next week."

"I was not made aware of this," Bobby spoke up this time, voice stony and cold.

"Then, by all means, go and make yourself aware of it. Evan, I understand your shift ends in around an hour," The man rested a strong grip on his sons shoulder, one harsh enough to leave bruises, "I will be stopping by your complex in 4 hours to pick you up. I expect you to be packed and ready to leave by my arrival."

When Buck remained silent as the grip tightened just enough to remind him of his childhood, a warning, "Do you understand? I will not ask again."

"Yes sir," Buck said, trying his best to hide his pain from his coworker. "What about Madeline?"

"What of her? She's still in Seattle making a name of herself in the medical industry, is she not? I'll have my agent come up with an excuse for her absence, but unfortunately your pathetic career is not excusable," The man sneered before finally letting go and leaving without another word.

Buck remained tense with his head dropped even after the absence of his father, though he couldn't hold back the swelling tears in his eyes. Tears from frustration that his father still had so much control over him, from embarrassment at how his friends must see him, and from the dull aching reminder of the harsh hand of his father. He felt weak and small again, like that child he once tried to get rid of, and it didn't help that he felt everyone looking at him still.

"Buck—"

"I, uh, Cap...I just need a moment. Please? I just need a moment to breathe, then I promise I'll explain and apologize and clean up before I go," He said softly, cursing at the breaking of his voice and how violently he was shaking. 

The second he got the soft permission from his boss Buck all but ran to the dorm rooms and shut the door. A sob heaved itself from his caving chest as he allowed his legs to give out from beneath him until he collapsed completely. Hot salted tears raced down his cheeks and he weakly attempted to wipe them away with shaking hands but failed. His lungs burned from a lack of proper breathing as he tried to control his sobbing to no avail.

Then the memory his fathers face flashed behind his closed eyes. A face of anger, disappointment, and disgust. The face he was more familiar with as a child than the hug of a mother. Soon after that the distant echoes of his fathers words from childhood rang within his mind, a cruel reminder of how pathetic he was. How weak he was being by sitting in a room curled up like a baby crying. That he was supposed to be stronger than this, that his fathers harsh hands were trying to mold him into someone less disgusting, and that these tears were only going to lead to more pain.

He was tired of the pain, even if it was only a phantom memory from his childhood. He was scared of then possible hurt that his father would unleash upon him if he returned and discovered him being so cowardly. More scared than when a fire truck was on top on him.

So Buck soon found himself swallowing the fear and pain just like from when he was a child. His labored breaths went calm and his eyes went dry of tears while he wiped the old ones from his cheeks. He stood up and straight, a man worth presentations, and straightened his clothes. Trained his expression as much as he could to be void of cracks, just like his mother taught him when she could burn his leg under the table at certain dinners.

By the time his best friend came bursting through the door, apparently unable to resist any longer, Buck was put back together as though nothing happened. But he didn’t smile or shrug or show any sort of emotion to the concerned man, instead just simply walked out the dorm room as if a robot. The firehouse was deathly silent, something that always resulted from his fathers presence, until only the soft steps of his shoes were heard. His whole body was tense as he came to the top of the stairs to find the rest of his team.

They all looked at him wearily, a trace of uncertainty mixed with worry, and stayed silent as if daring him to speak first. He saw their attempt to hide their inner curiosity and questions, because it was painfully obvious. Buck walked until he sat at the dining table across from them, ignoring Eddie’s presence by his side, and finally forced himself to speak.

His words were as devoid of emotion as he was, “I guess you guys have questions?”

Bobby was the first to take the presented bait, though his voice was soft with concern, “Are you alright, Buck?”

Buck didn’t hesitate to lie, as if some habits never truly die, “Yeah, of course. I was...emotional because of the fact I didn’t remember my, uh, mother’s death.”

Nobody believed that was the only reason, or a reason at all, behind the mans actions. They especially didn’t believe it because they saw how scared their friend had looked when they joined and how much that fear grew as the conversation continued. They shared a glance as their worries grew due to how out of himself he was during this conversation. How empty he seemed to be.

Hen spoke next, “Why did you introduce us to him like that? You seemed scared Buckaroo. You know if there’s anything wrong that you need to tell us, we’ll be here for you no matter what.”

Buck forced an empty laugh, “You’re taking it far too seriously. My father simply doesn’t like nicknames, so I spared us the awkwardness.”

“Is that really why?” She pushed.

“Yes.”

It was a firm and final answer, so unlike his usual self, that Hen couldn’t help but recoil under the coldness of his tone. She shivered at how much it was like the young mans father, before shaking that thought away instantly. Buck was nothing like that man she just met. Buck was sweet and kind, not rude and dismissive. She looked to Bobby and saw that the man must share the same uneasy feeling in her stomach about the idea of letting Buck go anywhere near his father again.

“Why does he think Maddie is in Seattle? Surely he must know that she’s moved here, it’s been nearly two years.”

That question was unsurprisingly from Chim. Buck looked down at his hands, the first sign of hesitation to answer, before straightening again to answer, “She didn’t want him to know he was here. Well, either of them really. We came up with a lie about her divorcing Doug and moving to Seattle to advance her career as a nurse. No questions were asked.”

Bobby sucked in a silent breath as he asked, “God, Buck, why didn’t you tell us your mother died last year? Two weeks before Christmas at that.”

The response was the coldest and most emotionless they’d ever heard their friend. So different than his usual tone that they never imagined him capable of being so detached. It sent shivers across every single persons skin as he said it, and it was undeniably an echo of his fathers voice. A reminder that this relationship between Buck and his parents had to have been so horrible that he couldn’t even remain true to himself when approached about it. They always had their curiosities about the Buckley parents due to lack of information, but little did they know the truth was so much worse than they imagined. Perhaps if they knew they would’ve never wanted to see the day that they met Richard Buckley.

Buck said, “That woman has been dead to me for years, it’s only fitting her body caught up with her heart. I won’t mourn someone I don’t love.”

Then he dismissed himself the second the clock hit 5 and his shift was officially over, leaving without changing or his bag because his keys were already in hand. He left them all shocked and confused, but most of all terrified. They were scared of the man that just spoke, of the man they met earlier, and of what they might lose if they allow Buck to be left alone with his father any longer.

They didn’t know about the past physical and emotional abuse, but they sensed that something was so horribly wrong with Richard Buckley they didn’t need to know. They wanted to chase after him and beg for him to stay, to ignore his fathers demands and never leave. Never risk becoming cold and harsh. To not go into the hands and care of the man that petrified Buck more than a bomb ever had. However, the words he said rung in the air with a shock that left them frozen has he had been less than a full hour ago.

Eddie was the first and only one to regain his senses with a jolt of determination that sent him running for his truck to track down his best friend and the man he secretly loved. To save him, whether from himself or his father or both he didn’t know. All that he knew was he couldn’t let that man take Buck. He had to protect him, even if he would have to kidnap him and hide him away in a safety blanket under a bed. 

“He’s going to be okay,” Eddie whispered desperately to himself as he made his way towards his heart. “He isn’t going anywhere. I’m coming Buck... I’ve got your back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Richard Buckley is trash and I hope you hate him as much as I do. Next chapter will be a mixture of heart ache, fluff, and possibly even a bit of action. Will be up either Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas.   
> As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is welcome and appreciated.


End file.
